"It is a book that will leave no one indifferent, and no one affected in quite the same way." – New York Times
"[Beauvoir's] graciously written memoirs carry distinct appeal in recording the emotional and intellectual birth pangs of a fascinating woman." – Time
"This excellent autobiography . . . of the bending of the twig is, in certain respects, more sympathetic than the later leafings of the tree; but the line between the child Simone and the woman of The Second Sex and The Mandarins is direct and clear." – Chicago Sunday Times
"This is perhaps the best piece of writing Mlle. de Beauvoir has yet done; the translator does it justice." – Saturday Review